About Me

"We need to make books cool again. If you go home with someone & they don't have books, don't fuck 'em."--John Waters

I'm the author of more than twenty novels including SHADOW SEASON, THE COLD SPOT, THE COLDEST MILE, THE MIDNIGHT ROAD, THE DEAD LETTERS, and A CHOIR OF ILL CHILDREN. Look for my next one THE LAST KIND WORDS due out May '12 from Bantam Books. Contact: PicSelf1@aol.com

Monday, April 30, 2012

2 New Reviews: The Twenty-Year Death & The Red Scarf

A brazen, bold, innovative 3-novels-in-1 saga. Three shorter novels comprise the entire story of American writer Shem Rosencranz and his beautiful French bride Clothilde. Each of the three titles is written in the style of a noted crime writer from the decade in which that portion of the story takes place.

Spoiler Alert: Due to the nature of the large book, I’ve reviewed each novel separately, including important plot-points that carry on from one title to the next. If you don’t want to know key threads of the story before going in, you might want to skip the synopses and go straight to the last paragraph.

MALNIVEAU PRISON, taking place in 1931, is written in the style of Georges Simenon. When a convicted thief's body is found in the overflowing gutter of a town near Malniveau Prison, it seems that he may just be one of several escapees. Was he murdered in the prison and then dumped outside, was he killed by other convicts, the police, or someone from the town? It's up to Chief Inspector Pelleter to find out. Clearly he's unwanted at the prison. The warden has coincidentally taken a vacation and Assistant Warden Elogieaux is aggressively unhelpful. The dead thief's daughter Clothilde and her bitter husband, acclaimed writer Shem Rosencranz, may have also played some strange role in how the man died. Also on hand is the vicious Mahossier, an unconscienciable killer of children, who may have had something to do with the two young boys who've gone missing from town. Pelleter must follow clues small and big to derive the truth from this intense and involving mystery.

1941's THE FALLING STAR is written with all the hip swagger of Raymond Chandler. When private eye Dennis Foster is called in to a film studio to help babysit their new star Chloe Rose (Clothilde's Americanized name) Foster gets the feeling that he's being set-up by the powers that be. Chloe claims that she's being stalked around the studio, on set, and even at home. Her husband Shem is a burned out drunk who now knocks out pornographic literature for a low-level wiseguy and fools around on his wife. Foster decides to actually do some investigating though and asks a lot of pointed questions at people who don't like to give answers. He's pulled from the case, paid off, and told to let things slide. Instead, Foster is just urged to a greater resolve to find out what's going on. He stumbles onto the work of a serial killer, and helps Chloe to seek out professional psychiatric help as she begins to suffer a nervous breakdown from the various pressures inflicted upon her.

1951's POLICE AT THE FUNERAL is written with all the brutal noir flavor of Jim Thompson. Here, Shem narrates the tale as we learn Chloe is still in the expensive private sanitarium she landed in at the end of book two. Shem's descent has continued over the last ten years and he's now shacked with his part-time prostitute girlfriend. Shem's wealthy first wife has died, and he meets his now grown hateful son, Joe, at the reading of the will. Shem is in dire need of money but his wife leaves him nothing and their son everything. As an extra insult, there's a codicil that states if Joe had died first, Shem would have gotten it all. As you might guess, this doesn't prove to Joe's benefit. During a loud argument that turns physical, Joe is accidentally killed, and as Shem tries to cover up the fact, he winds up getting deeper and deeper involved with more murders and bigger problems. The police are suspicious of him, his girlfriend's other steady customer, a mob boss, has bought up all of Shem's outstanding debts, and he can't run until the terms of the will are settled and he gets his money.

Writing three books that manage to have their own separate narratives and yet still manage to follow one sub-plot from title to title is an accomplishment. But then to do each book with a different narrative, noted voice, skew the suspense towards that particular kind of writing, and make each one a page-turner is nothing short of astonishing. The three titles are each strong book in their own right, and when added together they form an even greater momentum. The change-up of narratives doesn't throw the reader off, but instead grips him even more tightly. You've never read a book quite like THE TWENTY-YEAR DEATH. You'll be amazed, intrigued, awestruck, and extremely impressed. Another major feather in Hard Case Crime's dirty fedora.

It's nice to see that classic hardboiled/noir writer Brewer has had something of a resurgence. In recent years he's been reprinted by Hard Case Crime, Stark House, and now New Pulp Press.

Roy Nichols is hitching back to St. Pete Florida after failing to get his rich brother to give him a loan so Roy and his wife, Bess, can keep their declining motel running. During a bad thunderstorm he's picked up by a shady pair, Noel and Viv, a tense and argumentative couple. While passing a bottle of whiskey around things go black and Roy awakens to the aftereffects of a car crash. Noel is seemingly dead and Viv is lugging a briefcase full of cash with a red scarf tied around it.. Turns out Noel was a courier for the mob, and now Viv has a chance to run with the money. Roy will get a badly needed cut if he'll hide Viv for a few days. Eventually he agrees and soon finds himself in deep trouble. Noel turns up alive, a mob hitman is hot on the money's trail, Bess knows Roy is lying to her, and suddenly murder and the cops are on hand.

Gil Brewer was a master of tension. You can feel Roy's desperation even as he walks step by step down the road that will probably lead to his own destruction. But like any great noir hero, there's no way he can stop himself. He's got a date with an evil fate and there's nothing he can do to avoid it. Driven towards his own doom, Roy stumbles and fights and struggles against the forces surrounding him, even as he refuses to let go of the money and meets his destiny head-on.

44 comments:

Oh, there is one other thing; each novel is written in a different style: the first one is an homage to Georges Simenon, the second one to Raymond Chandler, and the final one to Jim Thompson. If you have been interested just click to have a peek at this web-site.

According to our Money Back Guarantee we can not refund more than 70% ofyour payment after"We sent you a Confirmation email. You will receive a confirmation emailright after the writer will be assigned. In case you would like to cancelor refuse the order at this point, the amount of refund will be 70%."Please feel free to read the policies you agreed on when ordering yourpaper on this webpage:

Please let me know if I should proceed with the refund.

Best Regards,

Andrew,Support team

From: MeTo: AdminDate↓: 14 Sep - 1:32 PM

Does it imply that I have to pay more than $65 for nothing? I am impressed!

From: MeTo: AdminDate↓: 14 Sep - 12:49 PM

Why 70%? Your writer has failed to provide 'a paper', as in I said only apaper. The paper your writer has written is something written by an alien.It was not even readable due to pathetic grammar and sentences that are

Essay is a paperwork which often we meet as an assignment in high school or higher level education. Unfortunately, not few students consider that they have difficulty in writing essay as they feel that they lack in writing skill. I am one of them and I can tell you that in writing company real experts will create an academic work of superior quality for you.

Interesting post. By the way, students do not have to worry anymore about writing essays. Using first-rate custom essay writing service, that are available 24/7, learners will always get professionally written essays.

Great article! It is not easy to stydy at school. Especially when you have to write various essays, papers etc. But students can get great help with all their assignments, because it is a hard to be successful in all. That is why the best essay writing services for you.

once i had a task to write an essay about photography and completely was out of ideas, but this site saved me. i got the unique essay on time and for low price.I recommend it now to everyone and tell that you will be satisfied!!!

THE TWENTY-YEAR-DEATH by Ariel S. Winters is a great book! Also I like books of Erich Maria Remarque and Jane Austen. Once I had a task to write an essay on topic "My favourite book". I didn't have time so I adressed to best writing service and they helped me to get a good grades.

Hello, I think it is very good post and very interesting information! Writing essays is a difficult task. However, the majority of students have to write essays in colleges and schools. Some essay types are easy while other require special skills and knowledge. It may be difficult to write a good essay for students who have to work part time or students from abroad. http://custom-writing.net

Very inice and interesting books. They are really helpful while writing an effective and creative research. I recommend academic-writings.com for all students who cannot deal with such incomprehensible task as writing academic papers.

wow amazing review for book!! I want read it so much! And i necessary do this when finished prepare my assignments! But i think will be more quickly and more quality if I order them on this site http://essay-professors.com

Hello Everybody,My name is Mrs Sharon Sim. I live in Singapore and i am a happy woman today? and i told my self that any lender that rescue my family from our poor situation, i will refer any person that is looking for loan to him, he gave me happiness to me and my family, i was in need of a loan of S$250,000.00 to start my life all over as i am a single mother with 3 kids I met this honest and GOD fearing man loan lender that help me with a loan of S$250,000.00 SG. Dollar, he is a GOD fearing man, if you are in need of loan and you will pay back the loan please contact him tell him that is Mrs Sharon, that refer you to him. contact Dr Purva Pius,via email:(urgentloan22@gmail.com) Thank you.

It is both interesting and complicated task to be a writer. You can express all your imagination on paper and discover the new sides of the world. If someone feels academic writing is not their strong point this is the great papers writing resource http://www.grand-essays.com/ for them to get high grades.

When it comes to getting into nursing school, a good admission essay is at the center of the decision. An admission essay can help or hurt students who wish to get into nursing school. The essay is not only about the content but about other important components that let the admission board know that students are serious about entering their programs and that they will be valuable assets as well. It is important for potential nursing students to know that there are important elements needed to write the perfect admission essay to get into nursing school. writing an impressive nursing entrance essay for those who need academic assistance.

Writers talk about the effectiveness of customer support team. Were customers pleased with the care offered or opted to use another service? Reviews on customer care should help you identify a service that will reply to all your emails, messages and answer calls. Before any placement of an order, investigate an essay writing website. Due to the demand, they all house the same features and guarantees. To be on a safer side, read about our team of experts that help you to find the best essay writing sites. Leave your worries to scamfighter!

Order custom written sample essays, term papers, research papers, thesis papers, dissertations, book reviews, book reports, speeches and other assignments. No plagiarism — exclusive writing in approximately 68 subjects. Check the custom essay writing service website for details.

Medical writing, depending on the outlet, requires professionals to research and write about those findings in a way that can be understood by average readers, yet is informative to those in the industry. nursing essay example is the way to know more about nursing.

If you feel that you need help when it comes to writing sociology papers then we could help you. Here at Erik Erikson psychosocial theory we have some of the best professional writers that are ready and waiting to make your academic writing very much easier. In fact, we can take all the stress and hard work out of writing, so that you are free to get on with whatever else you choose to do

You may decide to try and buy a sociology research paper online somewhere but you need to be aware of some things. Those sites will offer sociology papers for sale but they have been sold to hundreds of other people. You have no idea where those papers came from and who wrote them. You do not know the academic level of the writer and chances are you will have to spend time tweeking the paper to your professor’s specifications. For that kind of hassle you might as well just write the paper yourself.

Our accounting homework help is the best homework providing company. We believe that our homework plays an important role in the final grades of students. Due to several reasons, students are unable to write accounting homework. Accounting homework requires remarkable knowledge as well as in-depth understanding of the accounting concepts. Students should get our accounting homework help at our company’s website.

Biology, the study of life, can be fascinating and wondrous. However, certain biology topics can sometimes seem incomprehensible. The best way to get a clear understanding of difficult biology concepts is to study them at home, as well as at school. Students should use quality Do my accounting homework resources when studying. Below are some good resources and information to help you answer some of your biology homework questions.

You started looking for a real college literature lesson homework help online because of some extraordinary sophisticated assignment that is due soon and you have no clue about a way to approach to its completion.

Let’s first be clear on one thing: you buy at http://homeworkanswer.org/ and we give great homework help. College demands it. And you don’t have to be involved if you are uninclined to do so. You can give us the assignment, explain what you will, and leave us to complete the work. However, our methodology is set up so that you can reap enormous benefits from the process itself. From the day you complete the buying process, you will get to choose your professional writer, and e-mail communication begins immediately.

Flexera Global Enterprise Content Management Services team offers expert insights and certified technical expertise on a number of technology platforms, our highly skilled business analysts and solution architects work closely with your project managers and solution consultants to ensure that the solution aligns with your business objectives.

We are a reputable writing company mental health argumentative essay topics of international experience with creation of different types of essays for students of all levels of education. We have a team of professional writers of all possible scientific areas. That is why our agency is always confident about our essays being of the top quality. The assignments we provide for our customers always contain relevant information and facts.

Due to a number of factors, the mental medicine is nowadays one of extremely popular scientific directions as long as scientists from all over the world explore the reasons for psychological problems, mental health argumentative essay, and the ways to overcome and treat them. People’s psychological peculiarities, behavior, and reactions to various factors and circumstances are under discussion and are carefully examined.

From installation to setup, updates to upgrade, functional issue to critical error SAGE provides Technical Support & help to their customer in various ways. By using Sage Support user can get expert advice & helps in improving ROI of their business by Sage accounting software. Also one powerful way to connect Via Sage Support Number user just dial Toll Free number and get the solutions or answer of their problem.

You make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. See more information about instagram in picdove